Hoping to do a 3 - 4 day backpack in the Supes the first week of November but not seeing any current water reports. Any info on water on Dutchman, Whiskey Springs, Bluff Springs, Red Tanks - anything in that area? Thanks!

@nuckoles Wow, I may be too late on this, but I did the Happy Jack section at the beginning of October and every tank had water that was easy to filter - if you didn't mind the mud getting to the water! Campgrounds are still open so you have water access there by Mormon Lake, and Lake Mary and Blue...

@coati45 "them" is actually one person and she keeps pretty darn busy running the ranch on her own, as you can imagine. My guess is that she isn't accepting resupply boxes as she needs to make a trip into town to get mail, which is not an easy task from her location. As far as camping, ap...

@gardener
Trail angels always appreciate any help we get - it allows us to help future hikers. Some hikers pay with PayPal, some send a check, others have just given cash or even taken me out to lunch. Some pay nothing. We TAs help out as best as we can on reasonable requests regardless.

@gardener
I'm in Apache Junction so not close but can help out if I have advanced notice am not on the trail myself!

@gardener We do have some spectacular trail angels who do their best to get cache boxes near them filled / empties retrieved. Often a hiker will contact trail angels and ask if water can be cached for them with name and date on the bottles, or the hikers go ahead of time and cache for themselves. G...

@sahunter Great time to start SOBO. Up north the days are generally balmy right about then - nights are cool, especially for us desert rats (I see you're from Tucson), but generally not freezing temps. By the time the temps really dip, you will be nearing the desert. Of course, when you get south, ...

Yep, parking and access are generally easy access. It will be WET unless your up on the mesa, so plan on maybe an extra pair of socks to switch out. Gooseberry Springs access was closed last week when I went by due to all the mud / standing water, but I know that a crew has since been in there makin...

Just spoke with someone who was on Passage 23 this past week and the snow is almost all gone. I'm told plenty of dead fall. I also hear that Mormon Lake is MUDDY! I'll be out on 23b this weekend for a recon trip and again next week when we will try and remove as much dead fall as we can - you'll pro...

@jtwolfman Another Michigander, eh! I graduated from Cros-Lex High, in the Thumb, oh, about a million years ago! Snakes - no worries. And this comes from someone who does not like them / is afraid of them. You are not on their food list. I rarely see a snake, and of the few I have seen, I bet I've ...

By first-timer - do you mean new to the AZT or new to backpacking? If you are already a backpacker, then passages 1-3 really require very little modification. You'll want to check night temps for when you'll be there and bring an appropriately rated bag, rain gear if necessary, micro-spikes if neces...

A storm is coming in this week - supposed to hit Tue / Wed with lots of rain and snow at elevation. After that, it should settle down again, starting on Thurs. The snow has been melting quite quickly. I would say that you should be good to go by the 17th, just knowing that the north facing slopes at...

@pjhikes
Good to know about the snow. Thanks for posting the update.

@pjhikes
Did you wind up hiking this? Just heard from 2 thru-hikers - very experienced - who used the word "hectic" to describe Superior to Roosevelt. They also suggested to my friend that we put our plan of hiking Passage 19 this week on hold.

Not sure what she used, but I would assume it's the Arizona Trail app - Guthook. Costs 10 bucks, works off line / on airplane mode / provides a map and you - as a blue dot - on it, a guide with trail resources, elevation etc. Great resource. Go to your app store on your phone and search your apps fo...

Well, watch our weather - maybe you'll need to cache some, but maybe not. Last fall was pretty wet. This year so far has been good also. Some people come out a week or so early and cache, some get others to cache for them, and some just rely on ATA boxes and natural sources.

So I'm sure you're noting our current weather. Just keep and eye on it and plan accordingly. This can't last forever!

Generally we are warming up by April and May can have some toasty days - hit the 90s. Since you're a thru-hiker and desert dweller, I'm guessing you'd be OK - with certain precautions. Of course, the more miles you can do in a day, the sooner you'll be past the desert and into the high country. But,...

Don't stress about it. You will be fine. Mother Nature may throw some snow your way in the higher elevations - such as in the 1st 8 miles -but several hikers are starting in Feb, so if you watch their posts, you'll have an idea of what's ahead. And, of course, up date your information for those comi...

Nice! Thank you for posting!